Kathmandu, Aug. 15 -- Water scarcity is not a new problem for Sushil Shrestha and his family. Every year, he scrambles to meet water needs for his family of five. Two months back, frustrated with regular water shortage, Shrestha was among hundreds of others who took to the streets, demanding water from the government.

But finding water wasn't a headache for Shrestha until a few years ago.

"There were times when we had enough water for all 250 homes in the neighbourhood," said Shrestha, 53, who has been living in the Ikhachhe settlement in Lalitpur for most of his life. "Water crisis has become severe in the last five years after natural spouts started going dry. Now, we only get adequate water in the rainy season."

When the dry season ...